With Jarome Iginla gone, Bruins ponder next moves

Wednesday

Jul 2, 2014 at 2:14 AMJul 2, 2014 at 2:17 AM

Unable to come up with sufficient salary-cap space, the Bruins watched goal-scoring leader Jarome Iginla sign a three-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche. For the third straight year, the B’s willl have to replace their first-line right wing.

Once again, Bruins have holes to fill at right wingPeter Chiarelli joked a bit at the end of Tuesday afternoon’s conference call. “Just to show everybody that we actually haven’t been sitting on our hands all day, we have a signing,” the Bruins’ general manager told reporters before announcing that long-time minor-league defenseman Christopher Breen had signed as a free agent. “We actually did do something.”

Chiarelli, obviously, has more work to do on his roster, after Jarome Iginla’s name was officially deleted Tuesday. It’s a matter of how, and when.

The Bruins’ co-leader in regular-season goals (30) and No. 1 on the post-season list with five, Iginla, in a way, played so well in his single season with Boston that he made it all but impossible for the B’s to keep him. After proving, via a one-year, bonus-loaded contract, that he can still contribute full-time despite his age (he turned 37 yesterday), he didn’t have to take a short-term deal again – and after weighing his options, a one-year renewal was the only contract Chiarelli felt he could offer.

“At the end of the day, I really wanted to try and keep most of this group together,” said Chiarelli, who alluded to potential cost-saving moves (trades, buyouts, etc.) that would have freed salary-cap space to keep Iginla. “I made a decision.

“There were moves I could have made that ... I didn’t want to make. I thought it was for the betterment of the organization, of the team, not to do it.”

So Iginla celebrated his birthday by signing a three-year, $16 million contract with the Avalanche, and the Bruins turned to what has become an most annual assignment: Filling the right wing position.

Starting with Mark Recchi’s retirement after the 2011 Stanley Cup win, the B’s have seen Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Nathan Horton, Jaromir Jagr, Shawn Thornton (signed Tuesday by Florida) and Iginla leave. Trading Seguin and Peverley to Dallas last July 4 netted a pair of right wings in Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith, but the other departures – all via free agency – have forced the Bruins to find replacements at that position.

Given that Iginla’s departure does nothing to solve their salary-cap challenge – there’s only about $5.5 million to spend re-signing restricted free agents Smith and defenseman Torey Krug, who top the list – Chiarelli has some work to do, and some creativity will be required.

The GM said he’s “really comfortable” with the prospect of making Eriksson the Bruins’ third first-line right wing in as many years, following Horton and Iginla. That would mean an adjustment for center David Krejci, who is used to right-hand shots on his right side, but Chiarelli said he’d “talked to Krejci about it, and he welcomes it.”

The Bruins would still need third- and fourth-line right wings – and that’s presuming Eriksson, who struggled last season (10 goals, 37 points in 61 games) under the weight of new surroundings and two concussions, is the right fit with Krejci and left wing Milan Lucic.

Promotions are a possibility.

Chiarelli said “it may be that a guy like (long-time fourth-line left wing) Daniel Paille gets moved up. It may be that a guy like Matt Fraser (20-10–30 in 44 games at AHL Providence; 1-1–2 in a strong playoff call-up to Boston) plays the (right) side.

“It maybe that we have to put one of the (Providence) centermen on the wing (Ryan Spooner and Alexander Khokhlachev were candidates Chiarelli mentioned). ... It may be that we have to put Chris Kelly (a center who moved to left wing before last spring’s season-ending back injury) on the wing and put one of the young kids in the middle.

“I see four or five guys that are going to vie for two spots, as of right now, and I’m kind of excited about it.”

Still, it might be a bit more exciting – especially for fans who see the roster as weakened – if an established NHL name (preferably a right-hand shot) was in the mix.

Chiarelli doesn’t rule that out. With nine NHL-caliber defensemen in the fold, a trade is possible relatively soon (“I’m in on a couple ... we’ll keep pecking away at them”), and ultimately a necessity.

“We can’t go into the year with nine NHL defensemen,” said the GM, who expects Dennis Seidenberg (knee) and Adam McQuaid (quad) to make full recoveries. “At some point, I have to do something there, but I’m in no hurry.”

That may not be what fans want to hear – to say nothing of defensemen who don’t have no-trade clauses – but it’s where the Bruins are today.

“This is Day 1,” Chiarelli said Tuesday, “of maybe 30 or 40 that you try and improve your team.”

Mike Loftus may be reached at mloftus@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @MLoftus_Ledger.